Affirming Congregations

[Luce NDs]

I could add to this but won't ... just for confusing interests!

 

[crazyheart]

So I just got back from a joint Anglican & UCoC service
I asked the Minister if her congregation was affirming
That was one of the first questions she asked when she first joined oh so many years ago
& it turns out they don't have to -- they've had homosexual members for years that all congregants accepted :3

Is this true, Lots of churches would opt out of the affirming process saying that they are already welcoming.

Juat wondering.

 

[revjohn]

Is this true, Lots of churches would opt out of the affirming process saying that they are already welcoming.

I don't know how true this is. I would expect it to be true of some.

The affirming process is not mandatory so nobody can opt out of it. Folk have to opt into it.

 

[Seeler]

We've heard a lot of 'but aren't we already welcoming and affirming' or 'I thought we already were.'
Fortunately most of this people followup with 'of course we should be'.

One of the reasons we see for becoming officially affirming is in our advertising (which is low key anyway). While many people within our congregation consider us already affirming, and many people in other congregations within the denomination point to us as an affirming church, people outside the church have no way of knowing. A teenager who leaves his church because he feels condemned there, has no way of knowing 'we aren't all like that'. A stranger to the city looking for a place to worship has no way of knowing. We hope to have a big celebration if we become affirming, and to have an easily recognizable affirming symbol on our signage, website, publications, bulletins and in our sanctuary. (We already have the wheelchair accessible symbol.)

 

[Luce NDs]

"We've heard a lot of 'but aren't we already welcoming and affirming' or 'I thought we already were.'
Fortunately most of this people followup with 'of course we should be'."

Does this manifest ... or appear as it isn't? An of course if not openly receptive of all things ... is that intelligence past ... or lost on us?

 

[Delightful Life]

Is this true, Lots of churches would opt out of the affirming process saying that they are already welcoming.

Juat wondering.

Well, what if they were already 'affirming' in the sense that t

We've heard a lot of 'but aren't we already welcoming and affirming' or 'I thought we already were.'
Fortunately most of this people followup with 'of course we should be'.

One of the reasons we see for becoming officially affirming is in our advertising (which is low key anyway). While many people within our congregation consider us already affirming, and many people in other congregations within the denomination point to us as an affirming church, people outside the church have no way of knowing. A teenager who leaves his church because he feels condemned there, has no way of knowing 'we aren't all like that'. A stranger to the city looking for a place to worship has no way of knowing. We hope to have a big celebration if we become affirming, and to have an easily recognizable affirming symbol on our signage, website, publications, bulletins and in our sanctuary. (We already have the wheelchair accessible symbol.)

I guess that would be similar to how sombunall LGBTQRSTLNEMP3withasideofmayo follow the belief that 'silence is death', who always openly advocate their particular identity?
there are also those LGBTQRSTLNEMP3withasideofmayo who follow the same 'sexuality as identity' BS and who don't openly crow aboot it?
just like there are those who will advocate for their particular race or culture and those who just live?

It reminds me of an old aquaintance of mine, he and his bf were looking for places to help sell their business and drum up customers; they were living in a place with a high church density & never considered them for help...then, completely by accident, a minister at one of those churches saw them in town at a print shop i believe and asked them aboot their business and he found out they were together...he invited them to his church and said the church would help them with advertising...and a wonderful relationship developed from there :3

maybe the UCoC official affirming process gives...structure? for people who are ignorant aboot the whole LGBTQRSTLNEMP3withasideofmayo thang to constructively and publically talk aboot it?

hmm...

 

[Luce NDs]

Well, what if they were already 'affirming' in the sense that t


I guess that would be similar to how sombunall LGBTQRSTLNEMP3withasideofmayo follow the belief that 'silence is death', who always openly advocate their particular identity?
there are also those LGBTQRSTLNEMP3withasideofmayo who follow the same 'sexuality as identity' BS and who don't openly crow aboot it?
just like there are those who will advocate for their particular race or culture and those who just live?

It reminds me of an old aquaintance of mine, he and his bf were looking for places to help sell their business and drum up customers; they were living in a place with a high church density & never considered them for help...then, completely by accident, a minister at one of those churches saw them in town at a print shop i believe and asked them aboot their business and he found out they were together...he invited them to his church and said the church would help them with advertising...and a wonderful relationship developed from there :3

maybe the UCoC official affirming process gives...structure? for people who are ignorant aboot the whole LGBTQRSTLNEMP3withasideofmayo thang to constructively and publically talk aboot it?

hmm...

Lettuce alone without dressing and lets get to the rye truth of it without the pane of window dressing to make it look good although in the greatest sense it is not ... and therefore manifest ...

Poem my rye soul dis I say that out loud in a place dedicated to silence ... so there would be no perceived dissonance ... as Eris?

 

[Luce NDs]

There is a sad song that addresses cancerous growth of silence ... by a distant Jude 'n that lives in Canada ...

He has a powerful voice as suggested is a prerequisite in Israeli gatherings ... and thus the Jude thingy ... meant to stele eu away ...